Meme Watch: Left’s New Phrase of the Week Is ‘Conspiracy Theory’

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign sets the agenda for the establishment media, and if you want evidence, just look at how the media is suddenly playing up the phrase “conspiracy theory.”

Before you get any ideas about starting a “conspiracy theory” drinking game, being warned: you’ll die.

The “conspiracy” theme popping up at her out-sourced p.r. group, Media Matters, and at CNN, The New York Times, and MSNBC, especially since the Donald Trump hired formerBreitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen K. Bannon, as campaign CEO.

The “conspiracy theory” theme is being used to try to stigmatize dangerous questions about Hillary Clinton’s health, or about the proven connection of her top aide, Huma Abedin, to Saudi Arabia’a terrorism-linked Muslim World League.

As Breitbart News reported, Clinton’s campaign manager Robbie Mook seemed to have a sudden case of conspiracy theory Tourette’s syndrome as he kept saying it over and over again throughout an MSNBC appearance the Wednesday. That appearance was just after the announcement that Bannon was taking over the Trump campaign leadership.

Trump, who often parrots conspiracy theorist Alex Jones quasi verbatim, is no stranger to conspiracy theories, but by joining the campaign in an official capacity, Bannon might elevate the absurd conspiracy theories that are Breitbart News’ bread and butter to official campaign positions. Some of the conspiracy theories that can be found on Breitbart.com include baseless speculations about Hillary Clinton’s health, “birther” attacks against President Obama, and fear mongering that election machines could rig the upcoming presidential elections.

There’s also an absolutely nutballs video produced by Alex Jones’ InfoWars, a conspiracy theory website… then sure enough, this same conspiracy theory makes its way to the Fox News Channel… now that the head of a really, really, really conspiratorial right-wing website is actually running the Donald Trump campaign, I think we should expect it to get more like that.

She has faced every sort of serious, semi-serious and nonsensical conspiracy theory that the right-wing media has been able to cook up. The difference now is, they are veering so far to the right with the people who really do deal from the bottom of the deck. That’s going to reflect, in the end, worse on Republicans than it is going to on her, I think.

The SPLC also detailed how Breitbart has promoted the “popular racist conspiracy theory” that “African-Americans are committing crimes against whites at alarming rates,” and “In the past, Ruse used his perch at Breitbart to peddle conspiracy theories about the hate-crime murder of gay teen Matthew Shepard.”

Clinton takes lesson from GOP’s Kerry smears: Rachel Maddow reports on the Hillary Clinton campaign rebutting a bizarre and baseless conspiracy theory dragged from the fringe right by Donald Trump and Fox News, perhaps because of how normalized conspiracy theories from the right were seen to damage John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign.

Right-wing media stokes weird, fake Clinton conspiracy theory: Rachel Maddow reports on a bizarre conspiracy theory developed in right-wing media that Hillary Clinton suffers from a variety of ailments, and notes the effort by Fox News and the Drudge Report to push the story into mainstream awareness.

Middle East takes note of Trump’s conspiracy theories… protesters had apparently heard conspiracy theories from American extremists… the Republican presidential hopeful shares one of his many conspiracy theories… the American mainstream may know not to take conspiracy theories from the likes of Bachmann, Gohmert, and Trump seriously… many who are inclined to believe absurd conspiracy theories don’t really need proof.”

Clinton Responds to ‘Deranged Conspiracy Theories’ About Her Health: Hillary Clinton’s campaign is pushing back against growing claims about her health, including Donald Trump questioning her “mental and physical stamina” to be president.

On a conference call with reporters about Bannon’s hire, Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook used the term “conspiracy theory” more than dozen times and said the hire was a sign Trump would double down on his worst instincts.

Early in the 2016 race, Trump raised the specter of former White House counsel Vince Foster, whose apparent suicide in 1993 (which the Republican called “very fishy”) has long been linked to the Clintons by right wing conspiracy theorists, despite multiple investigations which cleared their name.

NBC had to add “paper thin” to this story about Hillary Clinton’ alleged health.

Of course, CNN couldn’t help getting into the conspiracy theory act. On August 18, taking a cue from Media Matters, CNN said:

Trump’s restructuring of his campaign ushered in leaders who are practiced in the dark arts of politics, unafraid to dabble in right-wing conspiracy theories about Clinton’s health, her marriage, and allegations that Bill Clinton has mistreated women.

The website, which Bannon has been closely involved with since its launch in 2007, has also been a center for conspiracy theories about Clinton’s health as well as stories about Bill Clinton’s alleged treatment of women.

Breitbart has also touted conspiracy theories about Clinton’s health and published dozens of stories about Bill Clinton’s alleged treatment of women, with headlines like “The Secret Sex Abuse Victims of Bill Clinton.”

Making no apologies for its conservative, populist worldview, it promotes anti-establishment Republicans, attacks liberal and establishment opponents and often traffics in conspiracy theories about President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other Democrats — as well as some Republicans it views as the enemy.

Trump Campaign’s New CEO Peddled Conspiracy Theories About Clinton Team: Stephen Bannon, the executive chairman of Breitbart News whom Donald Trump has appointed as his new campaign CEO, hasn’t been shy about trading in on the deepest fringes of conspiracy theories against Hillary Clinton and her campaign staff… Abedin has long been at the center of discredited, racist conspiracy theories thanks to her Muslim heritage…

There are actually more examples, but by this time you get the idea. This is the left-wing echo chamber in action, simply trying to discredit ideas that they can’t admit or refute.